Hoshe’a 9 | Exile

The threat of exile emerges in our chapter: "No more will they dwell in the Lord’s land" (9:3). It is striking, however, that the primary focus of this threat is not the physical displacement itself but rather the spiritual consequences. The verse does not state that they will not remain in their land but rather that they will not remain in the land of the Lord. The ramifications are: "Efrayim will go again to Egypt and into Assyria, where they will eat impure food. They will not pour wine in offering to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices find favor with Him; like the bread of grievers it will be; all who eat of it will be defiled, for their bread is merely to feed their hunger and will not be brought to the House of the Lord" (9:3–4).

Hoshe’a portrays the state of the Israelites as paralleling the horrific episode of the Concubine at Giva (pilegesh ba’giva): "They have delved deeply into corruption as in the days of the Giva. He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins" (9:9). The story of the Concubine at Giva (Shofetim 19–21) is one of the most appalling stories in Israel’s history — engraved in the nation’s memory as the lowest point we ever reached. The parallel drawn between that era and Hoshe’a’s time may be understood on two levels:
1.    Moral Sins – Just as in those days, so too in the time of Hoshe’a, the people are steeped in adultery, harlotry, and murder. If the sins described are those of adultery and harlotry, then the next story Hoshe’a references — the sin of Baal Peor (Bamidbar 25) — aligns as well.
2.    No king in Israel – One of the central problems in the story of Giva is anarchy. One mistake leads to another, and everyone does as they please, with no central authority to impose order amidst the madness. This was also the reality in the last days of the Kingdom of Shomron, whether Hoshe’a’s prophecy refers to a period of rapid turnover in kings — when rulers were constantly overthrown — or to a time when there was no king at all. (According to the chronology calculations in Melakhim, it seems likely that before the reign of the last king, Hoshe’a son of Elah, there was an interval in which no king ruled).

Later in the chapter arrives the physical destruction, warning of the slaughter of children. This threat then intensifies into an even harsher decree: barrenness — ensuring that children will not be born in the first place. Most commentators explain this as a prayer for mercy, rather than having children who will be slain when they’ll become adults, it would be better for them never to be born, so that the grief of mourning them might easier. However, the Malbim offers a different perspective, suggesting that this is a punishment of measure for measure (=midda k’neged midda): Since the Israelites have engaged in adultery and harlotry, they are punished by being unable to bear children at all.